


i sat by while you were sleeping (praying so hard that you wouldn't go)

by peraltiagoisland



Category: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-09
Updated: 2017-03-17
Packaged: 2018-09-16 02:22:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9269426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peraltiagoisland/pseuds/peraltiagoisland
Summary: Rosa breathes heavily, realizing what she's just done. She gives Amy and Charles a hard glare."If you tell anyone about this, you're both dead."Amy and Charles look confused and scared, but they nod anyway.





	1. rise and shine, it's a beautiful morning

**Author's Note:**

> pls tell me if this gave u pain

When Rosa gets the call, she's pretty sure her heart stops.

"Gina... she- she got run over, the bus was driving too fast a-and..." Rosa can tell Amy's hyperventilating a little, and all it does is add to her worry for Gina. "She's in the ambulance now and- we're on the way to the hospital."

Rosa sounds hollow, and very strangely broken when she responds. There's an immediacy and sense of urgency to the way she speaks, yet it seems like the words hurt to say, and just thinking about it gave her turmoil.

"Which hospital?"

"Brooklyn Methodist."

And then Rosa hangs up.

"Are you free to come now? Rosa? You still there?"

 

* * *

 

Rosa's the first to show up at the hospital, besides Charles and Amy who had been there with Gina since the crash. Rosa's loud and strangely determined footsteps storm down the hallway, prompting Charles and Amy to turn around. Rosa's eyes are slightly swollen, seemingly red even, but Amy doesn't comment on it.

"Hey-"

"Where is she?" Rosa demands, sounding angry but there's a certain angle of desperation worked into the way she talks, like one more small piece of bad news about Gina could break her, her soul cracking into tiny heartbroken fragments.

"She's in the emergency room, Rosa. We still don't know anything about her condition." Charles explains. His voice is low and even, the happy puppy of a man plagued with sadness. Gina was his family after all, and he never hid the fact that he saw her as a real sister.

So why did he seem not even half as broken as Rosa was?

To Charles, Gina was family. They had even shared a physical relationship once, though there was no romantic element to it whatsoever and it was kinda gross to think about the fact that it had happened, but whatever. Their parents were married. They went on family lunches, dinners, hell- even family _vacation_ trips together. Charles and Gina were basically brother and sister at this point, and no matter how much Gina would vehemently deny it, she saw Charles as a brother, a pushover she liked to pick on but protected from others who tried to do the same.

In every sense of the word, Rosa and Gina were nothing more than colleagues and good friends. They worked in the same precinct, shared a drink once in a while (literally, because Rosa once saw Gina drink her coffee. but she didn't even try to stop her), and even picked on people together too. But that was it. They were nothing more.

Yet Charles, armed with the knowledge that Gina's life was in danger and that they might not even find out whether she'd survive for hours, remained calm, although he was sad and worried.

But Rosa? She was so frustrated when she heard that Gina might not be okay she let out a yell and kicked the bottom of the nearest wall. It left a shoe print, laced with dirt and anger.

As Rosa opens her eyes(she didn't even know she had shut them), she sees Charles and Amy stare at her with incredulous looks that also contain worry and fright.

Rosa breathes heavily, realizing what she's just done. She gives Amy and Charles a hard glare.

"If you tell anyone about this, you're both dead."

Amy and Charles look confused and scared, but they nod anyway.

"Rosa, I'm sure Gina's going to be alright."

Amy's trying to be strong and make Rosa (who is visibly falling apart, as far as she and anyone within a ten foot radius is concerned) feel better about Gina's ordeal. She appreciates the sentiment but Rosa's mind is in overdrive, and the only thing she can feel is the sour lump in her throat that won't stop growing.

Rosa takes quick strides into the nearest bathroom she can see, locks herself in a stall and lets herself feel.

It's physically painful, carrying this worry for Gina, this increasingly incessant need for Gina to be okay. Her face grows impossibly hot, and in a useless attempt to suppress the pain, Rosa balls up her fists and shuts her eyes, leaning against the wall and tries to make it all stop.

When it doesn't, she slams her fists into the wall until inflicting violence on inanimate objects no longer helps her deal with it all, and finally she lets herself sink to the floor, hugging her knees and crying silently till there are no more tears left to cry.

 

* * *

 

Rosa doesn't know how much time has passed when she emerges from the bathroom, but Jake's here now, holding hands with Amy because he's in love and that's what people in love do. They hold hands no matter how unnecessary it is.

They all look somewhat relieved to see her. Rosa doesn't like this, she feels like she's being coddled by the looks in her friends' eyes alone, and really all forms of weird fussing should be over Gina who Rosa's still worried to death about.

"You okay?" Jake asks. He looks a teensy bit concerned, a little tired even, but seems fine. Gina was his childhood best friend. Why was Jake fine?

"Yeah." Rosa says. She doesn't sound fine but no one questions it. "Are the Sarge and Captain coming?"

"They wanted to, but they got called away to some last minute meeting at One Police Plaza. A nurse just came out to tell us that Gina's in a stable condition. She's going to be fine, Rosa." Amy says, almost patronizingly. The look on her face is sweet and caring but makes Rosa want to puke a little.

But instead, Rosa exhales a breath she didn't even know she had been holding. Her heart fills with relief.

"Yeah." Jake adds with a slight smile. "I was kinda freaking out on the way here but I came just in time for the nurse. I don't even know what I was worried about- this is _Gina_ , guys, she'd survive even if a plane tried crashing into her."

Jake's trying to keep the mood light and it works. Mostly. Charles and Amy let out somewhat tired chuckles and there are slightly more relaxed smiles on their faces. Rosa tries to smile too but she doesn't feel her lips working.

"Are we allowed to see her yet?" She asks instead.

"No, she's still in surgery. But Gina will be fine, Rosa. She's in a stable condition and before we know it she'll be up and running again. She's always been a fighter." Charles says in hopes of reassuring Rosa.

"Yeah. She's a fighter all right." Rosa agrees. She knows Gina will be fine, is convinced of it, but she can't help but want to see Gina to make sure of it herself. Rosa isn't sure where she got this itching sense of overprotectiveness over Gina, but she's pretty sure she hates it. She doesn't understand why she's feeling this way. All she understands is that if anything happens to Gina, she'll fall apart.

 

* * *

 

They get to see Gina a few hours later, and Rosa's the first to dash in. Her heart almost breaks, for what seems to be the millionth time that day.

"Oh... my god." Rosa mutters under her breath.

Gina does not look fine. She does not look okay.

Her body seems to be covered in bandages. She has very obviously broken her leg, given the way it's elevated and in a cast. Her arm is in a cast as well. And other parts of her body are broken too, probably, but Rosa's eyes are filling up with too many tears for her to see.

Rosa has no idea what she had expected to see when she walked into the room, but this wasn't it. She comforts herself with the small fact that Gina's still alive, and that she can recover from this eventually. No matter how messed up Gina looks right now, it's only temporary.

"This patient has broken an arm, a leg, and a few ribs. She has a concussion, but it is unlikely that she'll suffer any memory loss. The doctors are confident that she'll make a full recovery." The nurse says, reading off of Gina's charts and flashing a smile.

"How long will she be out?" Rosa asks, because the thought of missing out on Gina's quips throughout the day, her snide little remarks that never failed to bring a smile to Rosa's face, sometimes even a laugh-

It was unbearable.

"Should be about... two weeks? She might wake up earlier than that, though. But she'll have to stay in the hospital for quite a bit. She needs to rest up all those injuries. Honestly, if her body's smart it should sleep for a while longer to heal itself up." And then the nurse leaves.

Rosa finds herself staring at Gina. She doesn't know what for, but it feels like taking her eyes off Gina for even a second would be putting her in danger somehow.

"Listen guys, as much as I'd like to stay, Genevieve starts work in an hour and I need to get home so that someone's watching over Nikolaj. If Gina decides to rebel against what the nurse says and wakes up sometime later, call me and I'll be right down."

Charles leaves. Rosa's still staring at Gina.

"Um, Rosa? Jake and I are going to get coffee at the vending machine." Amy says cautiously.

"Yeah, you want anything?" Jake offers.

Without even turning around to look at them, Rosa shakes her head.

"I'm good. Thanks."

Then Jake and Amy leave.

Finally, Rosa walks up to Gina's bed and grabs the nearest chair so she can sit by her.

Quietly, Rosa reaches out for Gina's unbroken hand.

And she holds onto it gently, determined to sit by Gina Linetti for two weeks, or until she decides to rise and shine.

 

 

 


	2. the sun's burning in the middle of the sky, but i feel so cold because you're not here

Of course, although Rosa wants to stay by Gina's side 24/7, she has a full time job to attend to and if she suddenly stops showing up, people are gonna get suspicious and eventually find out that she's ditching work to hang out with an unconscious woman who will stay that way for about two weeks, give or take.

And also if she doesn't go to work crimes will go unsolved or whatever.

But Rosa heads over to the hospital the moment she clocks out of work every day to visit Gina. She never stays a minute more than she has to, but also not a minute less in order not to arouse any suspicion. It's honestly quite useless for Rosa to do this every day, but after a few days of this madness and rushing Rosa knows she's doing this for herself. Every moment she spends away from Gina is fraught with discomfort and uneasiness, but is replaced by a sense of calm (albeit one that is laced with worry) once she sees Gina perfectly safe, and perfectly alive.

It just feels a tad bit pathetic. And also slightly sad. But then again, everything feels a tad bit pathetic and slightly sad when Gina's not there to throw in some snide remark or blatant insult that weirdly always seems to make Rosa smile somehow. She's the sunshine to Rosa's rainy days.

But now it's night and the sun is sleeping.

Like literally, because Gina's in a coma and all that.

Thus Rosa finds herself with nothing much to do, other than sitting there and staring at Gina, willing her to wake up with her mind.

Which obviously doesn't work.

So Rosa tries to help Gina with the littlest of things.

There's a cut on Gina's lip and a few small bruises too insignificant for the hospital to pay attention to that Rosa attempts to treat.

She finds some sort of medicated cream she dabs gently on Gina's tiny face injuries with a q-tip whenever she gets there. It becomes part of her routine and is always the first thing she does when she gets to Gina's ward.

She also helps apply lip balm to Gina's lips when she finds it cracking sometime during her third day of visiting. Gina's hooked up to a drip but of course there's only so much it can do to keep Gina hydrated. Plus Rosa has an inkling that if Gina wakes up and finds out that no one maintained her lips while she was out cold she'd go on a murderous rampage. The thought brings a smile to Rosa's lips.

And when it's late at night and Rosa's absolutely certain no one's coming around any time soon, she plays with Gina's hair. It's soft and stops at her shoulders, coming down straight and smooth. Rosa finds that she's rather fond of Gina's hair.

 

* * *

 

Because Rosa spends so much time at the hospital, she's usually there whenever Gina gets any visitors that aren't her.

Gina's mother and Charles's father come by often enough, and Rosa always makes sure to leave when they do to avoid any and all small talk. It's a relief that Gina's mother's too busy fussing over Gina when she stops by to really notice Rosa.

Captain Holt comes every day at seven in the evening for about ten minutes, asks a nurse about Gina's condition before he leaves to have dinner with his husband.

Rosa figures his Gina-visiting routine out by the second time Holt walks in on her sitting by Gina's bedside. One of the times Rosa's even applying cream to Gina's face and it looks way too intimate somehow. And both times Holt and Rosa engage in what can only be described as very awkward small talk.

"Detective," he greets as he walks in. "Hello. It appears we are both visiting Gina. How is she doing?"

Rosa freezes. "She's okay. I guess." Rosa tries to hide the q-tip but she knows it's too late.

Holt nods, avoiding eye contact with Rosa, which she is very thankful for. "Very well. I shall look for a nurse to update me on her physical condition. Your concern for Gina is certainly... admirable."

Rosa doesn't say anything as Holt walks out.

Which is why she always makes sure to leave Gina's ward for at least twenty minutes every day every time it's about five minutes before seven.

Charles comes by once every few days, bringing by a small pot containing different soups each time that all seem complicated and like they took days to make. He's always disappointed when he finds out that Gina's still not awake.

"But she needs to drink this soup! It's good for her, it's got goat-"

Rosa grimaces. "She's in a coma, Charles. She's not drinking anything. And also- goat? Gina wouldn't drink that even if she was awake."

Charles sighs. "Maybe there's another way we could make her drink..." His eyes dart over to Gina's drip.

Rosa's eyes become the size of very horrified saucers. "No. I am not letting you replace Gina's IV bag with soup.

"But the soup's good for-"

"NO. Boyle, bring the soup home and give it to Genevieve or Nikolaj. You can bring Gina soup when she's able to _agree_ to drink it. If she'll agree to drink it at all."

Charles ends up giving Rosa the soup when he comes to visit, because she's always there and he knows she's not getting enough nourishment. Rosa eventually caves and starts drinking the soup the third time he offers it.

It actually turns out to be pretty good.

Terry comes to visit too, although he doesn't bring soup. He brings a mini basket of health supplements, tonics, and even exercise pamphlets for restoring the body after an accident. Each one he claims to be a better basket than the last. Rosa highly suspects that he puts those 'health baskets' together by himself, because she's never seen anything like the baskets Terry's been bringing.

He always comes at irregular times though, just like Charles, so it's a relief he doesn't come as often as Holt since she doesn't know when to leave Gina's side to hide from him. It's times like this that Rosa wishes everyone stuck to a strict schedule just like Holt always did. At least just for when they visited Gina.

Jake and Amy come around pretty often too, and always together. Amy checks Gina's charts, trying her best to make sure everything about her treatment is in order. Jake sits across from Rosa in another chair and recounts to Gina stories from their childhood.

"And then you decked that guy across the face and we got free tickets to the movie. Remember that? When we were seven?"

Rosa's eyes widen slightly. "Gina punched a guy in the face to get you guys free movie tickets when you two were _seven_? Wait, what the hell am I saying. I'm not surprised. Carry on."

Jake grins. "Yeah. That's one of my tamer stories of our childhood."

"One of your _tamer_ stories?" Amy says incredulously as she brings them all coffee.

Jake chuckles. "I'll tell you more stories when we get home. But the nurse did say that Gina needed a lot of rest so- I gotta keep these stories light so that she stays calm in her sleep and doesn't wake up cheering for her past self's accomplishments."

Rosa snorts. Jake's got a point, but quite frankly she's interested in hearing more stories about Gina's childhood. It seems like every chapter of Gina's life is interesting and crazy, and Rosa loves that.

Until Jake stops telling so many stories and starts confronting her.

"Hey Rosa... you doing okay?" He asks cautiously one day. Amy's pretending to read Gina's charts instead of actually reading them for once, and Rosa assumes she's hanging around to give Jake moral support.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why?" Rosa says, just a tad bit hostile.

Jake lifts his hands in mock surrender and slight fear. "Nothing! Just- you're here a lot. You're always here when Amy and I get here, and you're still here when we leave. The Sarge and Charles see you here all the time. Captain Holt too."

"Holt?! What the hell, I've been hiding from him every time he- I mean, nothing."

"It's nothing really, Rosa. But Gina's going to be fine, yet you've been spending most of your free time here."

"Are you in love with Gina?" Jake blurts out, then averts his gaze because he's terrified.

"What?" Rosa's a little outraged at the accusation. Then she realizes that they have a point. "Maybe."

"But..." Amy starts hesitantly. "What about Pimento?"

Rosa groans. She's gonna have to break up with him, doesn't she?

 

* * *

 

So she breaks up with Pimento.

"I thought you loved me." Is all he says, his voice all choked up.

All Rosa can feel is sympathy. And guilt. "I thought I did too."

 

* * *

 

Gina doesn't wake up after two weeks. So Rosa continues to visit Gina, but whenever she leaves she makes sure to remind the nurse in charge of Gina to call her when Gina wakes up.

"Of course dearie." Is all the nurse always says when she asks. Eventually, she doesn't have to ask and when she leaves the nurse just automatically reminds Rosa that she'll call her when Gina wakes.

It's a month after Gina's accident when Rosa gets the call. She hears the voice of an unfamiliar nurse.

"Um... I was told to call this number when Gina Linetti woke up? She just did so... do you want me to put you on the phone with her?"

"No." Rosa says, a little too quickly and she can tell it scares the nurse. "Don't tell her anything. But thanks for calling."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what do u think :))))) catch gina next chapter because she wakes up!!


	3. pop open the champagne (because i finally get to see your eyes again; oh how bright they sparkle)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM BACK CAN U BELIEVE CHELSEA IS PREGO

When she hangs up the phone, Rosa's first instinct is to ditch work, climb onto her motorbike and speed down the streets of New York as fast as she can go, until she reaches Brooklyn Methodist Hospital.

But that's crazy, and also a little pathetic. Gina's awake, she's perfectly fine and in the good hands of nurses that care enough to take time out of their day just to inform Rosa that she's out from her coma.

Rosa decides that the logical, rational, and fair thing to do is to inform the rest of the squad that Gina's finally up. After all, she doesn't expect them to be as crazy as her in making sure the hospital informs her of the very moment Gina rises. They aren't in love with Gina like she is, after all.

She decides to tell Jake and Amy first.

As usual, they're sat at their desks opposite each other. Jake and Amy are each dealing with their respective workloads, although they constantly giggle together at some stupid remark or joke (usually made by Jake), smile and blush at each other when either of them says something sickeningly sweet. There's a lot of winking (mostly Jake) and gentle kicking of desks to get the other's attention (again, still mostly Jake). Frustratingly, Amy responds positively to all this disruptive behavior. She banters back and forth with Jake (although this was technically not new behavior that had already started way before they got together; Jake and Amy have been bantering for the longest time since they became partners. They've been flirting for nine years.), contributes her own fun quips, and says gross sappy stuff for no reason. She winks back at Jake which makes him smile to no end, kicks Jake's desk back because they're both 5 year olds, and worst of all, she double tucks shyly at some of the things Jake says to her.

And because Jake knows what the double tuck means he uses it as an opportunity to tease her, like the idiot he is.

He gasps, his eyes widening as he points his finger almost accusatorially at Amy. "Ahah! You just did the double tuck!"

Amy's clearly embarrassed but she holds her ground. "So what?"

"You like me. Like, like-like. Gotchaaaaa. You've got it so _bad_ for me!"

"Jake. We've been dating for over a year. We literally live together now. We've said we love each other hundreds of times. You just told me you loved me five minutes ago." But she's still smiling because Jake just looks so happy and the whole thing is really silly. It's happened like ten times before and she's dating the literal king of goofballs but she's deeply in love with him and wouldn't trade him for the world.

"But still. You have a crush on me!"

Amy gives a half-hearted scoff because she actually finds Jake to be too adorable for words. "Jake, I've gotta have more than just a crush on you if I'm your girlfriend."

Besides the weird boyfriend-teasing-girlfriend-for-liking-him stuff, Jake and Amy often engage in petty teasing that ends up in the sticking out of tongues and calling of names. Like "butthead", for instance, which everyone knows is very harsh criticism.

Needless to say, Jake and Amy are the Worst according to Rosa (according to Charles, Jake and Amy are the Best) and the most disgustingly in love couple she has to deal with every single day.

When Rosa finally goes up to Jake and Amy's desks, she has the bad fortune of overhearing one of their domestic natterings.

"So what do you want for dinner babe?" Jake asks, spinning around in his chair.

"Do we have to decide that now? You have two reports you haven't finished." She reminds gently, not even looking up from her own paperwork.

"I guess I just love planning for the future." Jake says with a shrug.

"That's a lie." Amy says with the slightest smirk, but then a thought comes to her and she drops her pen. Jake looks visibly excited when she does this.

"I want you to cook for dinner." She says.

"What?" His face falls.

Amy nods readily. "Yeah. You. Cook dinner. For me- I mean, us."

Jake groans. "But I'm lazy!"

Amy only smirks. "But you asked me what _I_ wanted for dinner."

"Yeah, and by that I meant takeout! Of which there are many, many options."

Amy frowns. "But we've lived together for almost a month. Isn't it time you cooked for me?"

Jake sighs. "Fine. But I'm only going to make Mac and Cheese. Hah!"

Amy's dissatisfied, and begins to pull out the big guns. She leans forth and reaches for Jake's hand, planting a small kiss on it. Rosa almost gags but Jake looks like he's just gotten convinced to bring the moon and stars to Amy.

"Oh god. Yeah I'm not cooking dinner, I'm cooking a gourmet _feast_ for you." Jake's incredibly far gone for Amy, and it's really pathetic which is fun for Rosa to watch.

Amy's incredibly happy and smiling really widely. "Really? What are you making me?"

"Anything you want." Jake says instantly, as if in a trance. "I love you so much, you deserve everything and why I even try to deny you that is stupid. I'm an idiot and I'm so lucky I get to be with you. Will you ma-"

Rosa's eyes widen when she realizes what Jake's about to impulsively ask Amy in his dumb infatuated state. She chooses that moment to clear her throat as loud as she possibly can and get their attention, simultaneously stopping Jake from making a mistake because she knows Jake and that's not how he wants to ask the love of his life to marry him.

Rosa's a true homie.

"Oh, hey Rosa!" Jake says, almost gratefully. "Didn't see you there!"

"I've been standing here for an hour." It hasn't actually been an hour, but Rosa measures time by how long it feels.

"Oh." Jake says awkwardly. "Sorry about that."

"Do you need us to help with anything?" Amy asks just as awkwardly.

"No." Rosa says. "I just came by to tell you guys that Gina's awake."

Jake and Amy turn to each other with huge smiles on their faces and Rosa rolls her eyes because they're ridiculous.

Jake gets up on his desk and shares the news with everyone, which honestly makes things easier for Rosa because she doesn't have to go to the trouble of telling as many people. She's glad Jake's such an attention seeker.

"Attention please! Can everyone stop whatever they're doing? Gina's awake! It's a Christmas miracle!"

"Jake, we're well into February." Rosa says, but then everyone's cheering (with the exception of Hitchcock and Scully, who are weeping tears of joy) and she can't help but crack a smile. Because she's incredibly happy that Gina's okay and it's weirdly nice to see her inner feelings manifested on the faces of the people around her.

"Gina's awake?!" Charles gasps when he hears the news, walking into the bullpen with a perp in tow. He hands the guy off to the nearest beat cop and makes a beeline for his desk. "Time to pop open the champagne!"

"Ooh, I wanna do it!" Jake almost squeals in his excitement, climbing off his desk and making his way to Charles.

"Don't worry about it, I've got ten bottles!"

Rosa and Amy make their way to Charles's desk after hearing that too, wanting just as much to pop champagne bottles in celebration.

"What's going on?" Terry asks as he enters the bullpen and sees the commotion.

"Gina's awake!" They all say at the same time, and the look on Terry's face is priceless.

"Gina's awake?! That's incredible!" He dumps some files haphazardly on his desk and makes his way to Charles's desk with the rest of them, reaching for a champagne bottle. "Let me get in on the action!"

Right at the height of everyone's excitement, the lift doors open and Captain Holt walks in. He's holding a champagne bottle too. Everyone freezes.

"I just received a call from the hospital. Gina's awake!" He announces, immediately popping open his champagne bottle.

"Crap!" Jake groans. "He beat us to it!"

 

* * *

 

The entire squad makes their way to Brooklyn Methodist Hospital once their shifts end, which was terrible because everyone wanted to see Gina and having to wait all day made for a very unproductive detective squad (with the exception of Hitchcock and Scully, who were already incredibly unproductive to begin with).

Rosa feels terrible yet like she's on top of the world all day, because Gina's awake and everything's alright again yet she can't see Gina. Which is always a horrible thing.

She gets the impulse to grab the keys to her motorbike about ten times that day, but she makes it in the end and they all leave the precinct together to see Gina.

Rosa has to physically restrain herself from running to Gina's ward, keeping a steady pace and staying in the middle of the group. Not too fast so that she looks desperate (which she is) and not too slow either such that she's next to Hitchcock and Scully (who are panting after walking fifty yards) at the back of the group.

"Gina!"

"Hey!"

"Guess who?"

"We have come to visit you, Gina."

Various members of the squad greeted Gina in their own ways. Rosa kept silent, but she smiled when she saw Gina, who looked much better than the last time she saw her (which was like, last night).

Many of Gina's bandages had been removed, and she was currently seated in an upright position, using her phone. She actually looked happy to see them.

"You guys! You came to visit me?"

Jake chuckles and places a basket of flowers they had all chipped in for on the table in front of Gina's bed.

"Why wouldn't we? We're all stoked you're up, Gina."

"Of course you are. That was a rhetorical question. I would disown each and every one of you if you didn't visit me."

Jake nods. "Sounds about right."

"Anyway, how's the precinct? Gotta be a mess around there without me running the show." Gina asks.

"It's going terribly, Gina." Captain Holt says.

"Yeah," Terry agrees. "Get well soon and come back to work. We need you there."

"Aww," Gina coos. There's a short pause before she speaks again. "Don't stop there, everyone's supposed to say something nice about me. I was in a coma for a month after getting run over by a bus. I deserve a Nobel _prize_ for that crap."

"We need you back to keep Hitchcock and Scully in line, Gina." Jake says. "They've been stealing everyone's food. They took my last bagel!"

Gina glares at Hitchcock and Scully.

"Yes, ma'am." They say apologetically, their heads bowed in shame.

"Good." Gina smiles. "Who's next?"

"The Boyle family's been a mess without you, Gina. All the cousins have been really worried and the religious ones have been praying." Charles says.

"Of course they are." Gina says, very matter-of-factly. "I revolutionized them."

"It's been really quiet behind me the whole month." Amy admits. "I hated that a lot, even though it helped me focus better. It's weird without you around, Gina."

"Duh, the world falls apart when I'm not there." Rosa feels inclined to agree with this. Her world sure felt like it was falling apart when Gina wasn't there.

"We love you, Gina." Hitchcock and Scully say, which disgusts everyone, most of all Gina.

"Ew!" She grimaces, almost gagging.

Rosa feels her heart pounding because she knows she hasn't said a word since she walked in and she doesn't know what she'll do if Gina singles her out for keeping her mouth shut.

And then a nurse walks in.

"Hello I'm here to check on-" She stops, seeing the crowd gathered around Gina's bed. "Oh, hello. Are any of you related to the patient?"

"Not by blood," Gina says. "But they're family. What's this about?"

"Your physical therapy sessions start tomorrow." The nurse informs. "Although our staff are very experienced and capable, we recommend that a family member or trusted friend attend the therapy sessions so that they can assist you with your recovery. I need that person to fill this up." She says, holding up a clipboard.

"I could do it." Rosa blurts out, and suddenly everyone's looking at her and it makes her regret saying what she did. She can feel Gina's stare and it's not helping that she's standing closest to Gina. There's some confusion in that stare, and something else that Rosa doesn't bother figuring out because she's too busy explaining herself.

"I mean, I'm the only one that's free, I guess." She clears her throat. "The Captain has to go home to Kevin because you two don't have much time to spend together to begin with. Sarge has three kids, Charles has to take care of Nikolaj, Jake and Amy just moved in together and- I know Gina would rather die than have Hitchcock or Scully help her with physical therapy."

"Hey!" They protest, obviously offended.

"That's true." Gina says, and it makes Rosa smile. "I would crawl my way to that bus and beg it to run me over again if either of you were in charge of my physical therapy." Then she turns to Rosa. "Although you're forgetting something Rosie- aren't you technically busy too? With Pimento, that guy you almost married?"

An awkward silence falls over the room.

"I broke up with him." Rosa says simply, looking at her feet because she knows there are looks of pity on some of their faces and she doesn't want to deal with that.

Which is how she misses Gina's smile, which disappears once Gina catches herself.

"Oh. Sorry to hear about that boo. Bummer."

"It's fine." Rosa looks at the nurse. "Where do I sign?"

The nurse smiles. "Right here, dear. But I'm going to need you to stay for a bit, because I need to go get Nurse Jackie who's supposed to brief you and schedule Gina's physical therapy sessions."

"Oh. Cool. I'll just wait here then." Rosa grabs the nearest chair and sits next to Gina's bed. The rest take this as a cue to leave. Most of them, anyway.

"I think I'll have to take off now. Sharon and the kids are waiting for me to have dinner." Terry says. "Sorry I couldn't stay longer Gina, but I brought you some health supplements. They'll strengthen you."

"More vitamins?" Gina chuckles. "Thanks, Terry Berry. I can't wait to see what the rest of you got me! You should hurry up and go though, Sharon and the children are probably starving."

"I'll be taking my leave as well, Gina." Captain Holt says. "I did not bring you any health supplements but I am... giving you a raise."

"What!" Gina claps. "Yes! Finally! Okay, that's a great gift. You can go home to Kevin now."

Strangely, it felt as if Gina was chasing everyone away.

"I have to go home too because Genevieve has to work in a few hours and I need to be home with Nikolaj." Charles says. "I made you soup, it's very nourishing and you need to drink it."

Gina looks disgruntled. "Soup? There's no goat in it, is there?"

"It's good soup, Gina." Rosa says. "I tried it."

"Woah, really? Okay, fine. I'll drink it. You can leave, Charles."

Jake and Amy look very sheepish as they smile awkwardly at Gina. "We didn't realize we had to bring you a gift today." Amy says apologetically.

"Because we already brought you so many the last time we visited!" Jake says in an attempt to look good. He knows he failed, and bites his lip. "We'll bring you something good tomorrow?"

"Boooooooo." Gina says. "But whatever. I'm a magnanimous higher being, so you're off the hook. Now go home and be losers together."

"Sure." Amy says. "Let's go, you guys."

"But we wanna stay!" Hitchcock whines.

"I just got comfortable!" Scully complains, and it's then that they realize Scully's sitting in an empty bed next to Gina's.

"What are you doing?" Jake questions.

"Get out of that bed, Scully! And scram." Says Gina. Scully has no choice but to obey. "You too." Gina says to Hitchcock, and they both reluctantly leave with Jake and Amy.

And then Rosa and Gina are alone, and it's so familiar yet foreign at the same time, because Rosa's been waiting patiently by Gina's side for a month, but Gina was in a coma the whole time.

They've been alone before of course, all those nights drinking at the bar together, the last two to go home. Those hours they spent in Babylon together, away from everyone else in their safe haven. Those shopping trips they went on after Rosa first told Gina about her secret bathroom and how Gina insisted on making the place look like a literal heaven.

"I mean, my presence already makes it a heaven on earth, but we gotta turn this place into our _sanctuary_." Rosa recalls Gina saying. She remembers rolling her eyes but then going along with the whole thing anyway.

She has so much fun decorating Babylon with Gina back then that she starts decorating her own apartment. Gina brought a love for good interior design and color coordination that Rosa never cared for before in her life and made it a part of her. It's a part of Rosa that she hates to love, but lets it continue to exist anyway. There are times when she enters a perp's apartment and instead of thinking about what she's searching for- or if she's there to arrest them, who she's searching for, she catches the occasional aesthetic flaw in the apartment. The wrong color being painted on the walls, the wrong placement of a certain piece of furniture. Rooms that are missing that pop of color. She sees it all and it ticks her off. If the others knew of this side of her that Gina had cultivated, they'd freak.

"So-" Gina starts, breaking the silence. "Sorry you broke up with Pimento. I know you loved him or, whatever."

"Turns out I didn't love him as much as I thought I did." Rosa shrugs. "It's fine, you don't have to force yourself to talk about him. I'm pretty much over it."

"Oh, thank god." Gina says, and Rosa can't help but smile. "I didn't like him at all."

Rosa chuckles.

"Anyway, how's Babylon?" Gina asks. "How's our _baby_?"

"She's doing okay." Rosa clears her throat. "She missed you."

"I missed her too." Gina smiles shyly. "I mean, I was asleep the whole time, but I missed her anyway."

They're not really talking about Babylon.

Nurse Jackie walks in right about then, and greets them cheerfully.

"Hello there you two!" She has a folder and a pen with her, which she sets down on her lap as she grabs another chair to sit next to Rosa. "I've got a bunch of forms for you to fill in. Then we'll talk timings. There's going to be a therapy session every day, but it'll be reduced as time goes by based on Gina's progress."

"Sure." Rosa says, picking up the pen.

"Wait-" Gina taps Rosa on the shoulder, and it's somehow the warmest Rosa's felt all day. "You don't... have to do this. I mean, I could always ask my mom to help. I'm her greatest joy in life and she loves me. So it's cool with me if you wanna back out."

Rosa snorts. "Don't be stupid. I have nothing better to do anyway." She leaves out the part that she loves Gina too.

"You're right, what am I even saying? I should always be everyone's top priority. Sign everything."

Rosa grins as she lets the pen glide smoothly over paper, filling in every last document with relish.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the jake/amy i got carried away


	4. you're all i ever see when i walk into a room, but in your eyes i'm practically invisible

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahhhh sorry for taking so long to update this!!!
> 
> i didn't really check that thoroughly for errors so pls tell me if I made any mistakes lmao
> 
> And also pls tell me what you think!!!!

The day after she signs on to be Gina's... caretaker, of sorts, Rosa gets stuck with this huge case Holt assigns her. She neglects visiting Gina for about two weeks, wanting to solve the case quickly so as to focus on helping Gina with her recovery.

The hospital didn't want to start Gina on physical therapy just yet, keeping Gina under observation until she had healed up a bit more. To be safe, Rosa had received permission from Holt to plan her shifts around Gina's physical therapy sessions.

"Again, I would like to thank you for volunteering to help Gina with her recovery. I'm sure the others- myself included, wouldn't have given a second thought before agreeing to help Gina. But I'm certain she feels most comfortable with this arrangement- and I'm certain you yourself would be more at... _ease_ about Gina's wellbeing by overseeing her physical therapy sessions."

Holt has this look in his eyes when he says this to Rosa. The slight hinting at a deeper connection between Gina and herself made Rosa nervous. The fact that Holt knew she had spent almost every night visiting Gina at the hospital whilst she was still in a coma only served to make things feel more awkward.

When Rosa caught her accomplice, successfully getting a signed confession to wrap the case up, she receives a call from Gina.

"Yeah?" She answers, gathering her things together. Rosa had planned to take a shower and visit Gina at the hospital the next day. She needed some sleep, having spent the past two weeks surviving on intermittent power naps and way too much coffee.

"Bitch, where you been at?" Gina complains through the phone. She tries to sound casual of course, but the reality is that she's missed Rosa's company, and visits from everyone else in her life just simply couldn't compare.

"Work." Rosa mutters simply. She's tired and doesn't feel like saying anything long enough to form a proper sentence. But anyone watching Rosa at the time would unmistakably report that Rosa was smiling. Just slightly, though.

"Work? _Ugh_. What were you even doing at work?"

Rosa inwardly sighs as she starts to head out of the building.

"Um... working?" She nearly snorts as she says this, and she can literally feel Gina's eyes roll in response.

" _Duh_. Okay, I'm just gonna say it- what were you so busy with that you couldn't come visit me?"

Rosa blushes a little at this. But she ignores her stupid feelings to respond to Gina. "Working a case."

"Can't crime wait when you have a super hot friend to visit at the hospital?"

"Not unless I want to help that friend with her physical therapy sessions. Holt promised to give me easier stuff after this case so I can be at the hospital when I'm needed."

"Oh." Gina exhales. "When does that start again?"

"Didn't your nurse tell you? They start tomorrow."

Gina smiles at this. She gets to see Rosa soon, finally. "Okay, boo. Hurry up and get your ass over here. Boyle keeps bringing me soups and stews and I'm getting tired of picking out hair and hooves from my food."

Rosa chuckles. "How have you not banned him from visiting you?"

"You were right, okay? They're actually... not bad. Ew, what am I saying? This has gotta be because of the bus crash. It messed me up, Rosa! Bad! I actually enjoy Boyle's food? There's gotta be something wrong with me."

 

* * *

 

Rosa walks into Gina's ward the next day feeling refreshed and well rested. And if she's being honest kind of excited to see Gina.

Which isn't an emotion she's especially well-acquainted with, so it's something she tries to squash.

She's greeted by Gina's dance troupe, Dancey Reagan, leaving the room as well as a disappointed looking Gina.

"What's wrong?" Rosa asks directly, dreading the worst. "They didn't... dance you out or whatever did they?"

Gina looks up at Rosa and her eyes nearly light up. "What? Oh. No. I'm not getting kicked out of Dancey Reagan."

Rosa grabs a chair and sits by Gina. "Good. Or I would've chased after them and made sure none of them danced again. Or walked."

Gina chuckles at this.

"So... if you're still in Dancey Reagan, why're you upset?" Rosa continues to probe.

"I... they won a dance contest last night. Without me. And- they're joining another one next month. Which I don't think I'll recover for in time." She picks at her nails as she says this, so Rosa decides to tread lightly.

"So you're... sad because you think they might be better without you?"

Gina scoffs. "What? No."

"Then what is it?"

"I'm just... bummed I can't dance. That's all."

Rosa decides it's probably the best idea to change the subject. She notices a container of soup on Gina's tabletop, and smirks as she recalls their conversation from last night.

"Boyle made another soup delivery?" Rosa asks, taking the soup out and examining it. She makes a face when she notices something resembling a tooth in the soup.

Gina groans. " _Yes_. He keeps dropping it off when I'm asleep, outside the ward getting examined by the doctors- I don't know how he's doing it."

"But... you're still drinking it."

"Don't remind me- I don't think I'll ever live this one down. I actually _like_ Charles's gross stew. Ugh." Gina shivers in disgust. "And my only genuine complaint is that he needs to put the stew through a strainer before giving it to me."

Rosa looks up at Gina. "Why don't you just tell him?"

"I can't- he keeps showing up when I'm not here, remember?"

"Can't you text him? Or call him like you did me?"

Gina groans. "Last time Charles texted me, I was run over by a bus. I think he changed his number after what happened."

Rosa now remembers this, and realizes she hasn't gotten Charles's new number yet. Oops.

"So tell someone to tell Charles."

"I _did_." Gina huffs. "But either Charles isn't listening, or everyone has terrible memories. How are all of you detectives again?"

Rosa ignores the indirect insult. "So you want me to tell him?"

"You're the only one I trust enough to get the message through, Rosie."

Just then, Nurse Jackie walks in, knocking gently on the door and interrupting their conversation.

"Girls, it's time. I hope you're ready."

Rosa assists Nurse Jackie with helping Gina into a wheelchair. Her hand might've grazed Gina's ass and Gina may have winked at her, but that's not important.

 

* * *

 

"Hey there, Gina Linetti?" An admittedly good looking man walks up to Rosa and Gina, taking a look at Gina's chart to get a sense of her condition, before flashing a bright smile at her.

"That's me." Gina confirms. She looks just a teensy bit interested, which Rosa can't blame her for because _damn_ , but at the same time, she's a tiny bit jealous.

"My name's John Peterson." Rosa can already tell from the man's boring name that he's not worth a second glance. He offers Gina his hand and she shakes it.

"Alrighty, then. You already know my name, so I'll skip the introduction." Gina eyes John in a way that worries Rosa.

"Of course. How're we looking today, Gina?" He asks.

"Sexy, but not like we're trying too hard."

John chuckles at this.

"Perfect. Alright- and you are?" He asks, gesturing to Rosa. He does not offer her a handshake, which is for the best anyway, since Rosa had no interest in touching his filthy hands.

"She's my personal assistant." Gina quips with a teasing grin directed at Rosa.

"No." Rosa rejects this immediately. "I'm her... I'm here to learn what therapy exercises she needs to do so I can help her with them later I guess."

The man nods in understanding. "Ah, yes, of course. Let's get started shall we?"

He goes through all the basics. Arm stretches, leg exercises, some sort of massage that makes Rosa very irked to see Gina's physical therapist perform on her.

"Damn, that feels good." Gina moans at some point during the massage. This makes Rosa feel very small, somehow. "I should've gotten hit by a bus sooner."

"You don't need to get hit by a bus for me to want to massage you."

Rosa wonders angrily to herself if massages are even supposed to be a part of physical therapy in the first place. She's relieved when Nurse Jackie walks in to check in on them.

"Is everything fine?" She asks Rosa, then frowns when she sees Gina and John's admittedly intimate position.

"No." Rosa almost snaps, until she realizes she's practically talking to a complete stranger. "I'm sorry- I just don't see how I'm even needed. Neither Gina nor Gina's physical therapist seems to want my help."

Nurse Jackie awkwardly clears her throat. "Well... I may have _overstretched_ the necessity of someone accompanying Gina for her physical therapy sessions. I thought it would be a good opportunity for you two girls to... bond."

Rosa feels heat rise to her cheeks. "I... um. There's nothing going on between us."

Nurse Jackie chuckles. "Don't be too sure about that, sweetie."

Nurse Jackie walks out to check on some other hospital stuff, leaving Rosa to watch on as John puts his hands over Gina in a manner she wants to break his fingers for. The fact that Gina seems to enjoy it just makes everything feel worse. Gina's definitely _bonding_ with someone, but it's not Rosa.

Finally, after what seems like ages, John decides it's time to let Gina practice walking.

"You're actually making pretty good progress for a bus crash victim." John remarks, and this seems to strike Gina with a sense of hope.

"Do you think I'll be able to dance again?" She asks, and Rosa has a feeling this isn't going to end well.

"Sure," says John. "Eventually."

Gina narrows her eyes at this. "Wait- how long is 'eventually'? Will I be able to dance in like, a month?"

John laughs at her, and Rosa wants to slap him across the face. "What? No, that's way too soon."

Gina's face falls and her cool and flirty demeanor drops for the rest of the physical therapy session. Whilst it hurt seeing Gina flirt with John, and John being gross teetering on the edge of creepy was kinda painful to watch, witnessing a genuinely upset Gina feels even worse.

 

* * *

 

When the physical therapy session finally ends, Rosa's tasked with wheeling Gina back to her room and getting her back on her bed.

"You're not leaving now, are you?" Gina asks somewhat cautiously as Rosa puts away the wheelchair. She's worried that Rosa's going to walk out of the room next, because she's been avoiding eye-contact with Gina since physical therapy ended. Actually, since physical therapy started too.

"I'm not. But only if you cut the crap and tell me the truth." Rosa grabs a chair and sits down beside Gina, who looks confused.

"The truth about what?"

"You were being weird earlier when that dude-"

"John."

"-yeah, whatever. You looked crushed when he said you wouldn't be able to dance by next month. This isn't about just being able to dance. You want to be there for the dance competition."

Gina sighs. "Fine, you're right. I'm bummed because I wanna be at the dance competition."

Rosa raises an eyebrow. "But why? Can't you just join another dance competition again?"

"Yeah, but. They'll all have that trophy or medals or gift certificate which they earned without me. They'll have more awards than me. And like... even if we went on to win a thousand dance contest awards together, they'd have a thousand and two, or a thousand and three awards to their name, and it'll never be the same again. What if they think they're better than me because of that? I can't have people thinking they're better than me."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Rosa says, because she truly is. Gina doesn't get like this, no matter what happens she's not one to let what anybody else thinks get her down. She proves those who underestimate her wrong, and maybe that headstrong mindset was one of the things that drew Rosa to her.

"It's... pathetic and sad. Which is stupid, because I don't _do_ pathetic and sad. That's Charles's territory. Oh god, is my half-brother rubbing off on me?" Gina actually does look grossed out as she says this, gripping her arms tightly and even cringing in supposed dread. It's kind of cute, but Rosa tries not to focus on that right now.

She doesn't know how to console Gina, whether she's supposed to give her a hug or pat her gently on the shoulder. She ends up saying the first thing that comes to mind.

"Why don't you just join a few dance competitions without them then? So that you'll all be on the same level."

Gina looks up at Rosa as she considers this. "Alone?"

Rosa takes a deep breath. "No. With... me."

Gina's eyes widen, a flurry of emotions flashing through her gaze. "Wait- for reals?"

Rosa nods. "Look- I don't really tell people this but... I used to be a dancer. Classical dance, mostly. But I've dabbled in other dance genres before, so... Anyway what I'm saying is- if you need someone to join team dance competitions with to be on the same level as your dance troupe mates then, I don't mind helping you out."

Gina chuckles. "I know."

Rosa's slightly baffled by this. "You... know? Know what?"

"Rosie, I checked everyone's records two weeks into working at the Nine-Nine. Actually, you have me to thank for helping to keep up your cool, mysterious persona as long as you have. I hid all incriminating records of you so no one else could find them."

Rosa doesn't know what to say. "...thanks?"

"I mean, I did it so that I'd be the only one able to blackmail you if I ever needed to in the future but- you're welcome."

Rosa rolls her eyes. "Okay, yeah. So do you want my help or not?"

"Oh, of course I do. Anything to see Rosa Diaz rise and dance like a reborn swan. But when would we find the time?"

Rosa shrugs. "I don't know. Maybe I could teach you some yoga to heal faster. And maybe that physical therapist of yours was just talking a load of crap and you can recover faster than he thinks you can."

Gina's spirit seems to have been awoken by this. "Yeah. You're right. I'm Gina _frickin_ ' Linetti. No suburban white man, _no matter how ripped,_ is gonna tell me when or whether I can _dance_."

Rosa swallows hard at Gina's hinted attraction to her physical therapist, but she smiles anyway because it's Gina.

 


End file.
